Cambridge IELTS 20 General Training Reading Test 1 (Online Test)

Read the text below and answer Questions 15–21.

Learning to conduct difficult conversations in the workplace

Many of us struggle to say what we need to at work. Whether it's asking for a pay rise, or confronting a co-worker over unsatisfactory behaviour, these conversations can be difficult to have without appearing offensive.

There are several reasons why we don't raise difficult topics at work. Perhaps we've learned not to rock the boat, we fear being responsible for conflict, or we think that nothing will change even if we do pluck up the courage to speak out. So we stay quiet.

Here are some tips on how to tackle your next difficult conversation:

First, you need to plan what you're going to say. Think about how long you need for the conversation and where to have it. The right environment is key – you don't want somewhere too formal that will intimidate your colleague, or somewhere too casual where you may be overheard.

The second thing you need to do is write down the key messages you want to get across in the conversation. Practise saying them out loud (I like to record them on my phone and play them back). You are not preparing a script, but this preparation helps you to be brief and clear. If you are particularly nervous, rehearse what you plan to say in front of a friend so you know you are coming across as you wish to.

The language you use is also important. Consider the difference between these two phrases: 'Steve, we're very close to deadline date and you told me you're a bit behind. I'd like to support you and agree a way to get the deadlines met.' and 'Steve, you're behind again. This has got to stop!' If you use the first example, you come across as looking for solutions together. That creates trust and openness. The second example is less likely to get a successful outcome.

Finally, put yourself in the other person's shoes – however frustrating that person might be. The useless boss who never gives you feedback is simply struggling with her own extremely heavy workload. The team member who only has negative comments to make in the team meeting simply doesn't have the skills to ask for what he wants directly.

To manage your emotions during a difficult conversation, it helps to calm things down by taking some long breaths. And finally, if you feel under pressure, remember to respond slowly rather than reacting quickly.

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Read the text below and answer Questions 22–27.

Making a success out of a new business

Running your own business can be very rewarding, but success is not always guaranteed. Half of small businesses fail in the first couple of years, according to official reports, but there are certain steps you can take to give your business the best chance.

First, does your business have a clear mission, yearly goals and a long-term business plan? Ensure your goals are specific, measurable and achievable. Introduce regular reviews of these goals and set new ones when appropriate. Most importantly, communicate your mission and goals to your employees. Their livelihood is tied to the success of your business, so make sure they know what they need to do to keep your business healthy.

A shortage of cash is generally what sinks small businesses, so learning to monitor your cashflow is critical. Check the dates of major outgoings, such as tax and payments for rent and rates, to ensure that you have enough cash for when these need to be paid.

If you're setting up a partnership, choosing the right person is vital. Once you have made your choice, put in place an agreement which sets out the rights and responsibilities of each partner in the business. The agreement should also deal with what happens when difficulties arise; for example, does one partner have the ability to buy the other out? Or should the business simply be closed down – which could result in the end of a successful business?

Knowing your market and accurately assessing the potential demand for a product is the key to an idea succeeding or failing. If your product has a very limited market, you won't be able to sell enough to create a successful business. You should take time to understand who your competitors are and identify what distinguishes your business from theirs. Perhaps you can provide a better service or compete on price. It all boils down to understanding why customers would rather buy from you than other companies in the field.

There is a lot to think about when starting your own business, but avoiding these common pitfalls will give your business a good chance of success.

Read the text on pages 24 and 25 and answer Questions 28–40.

A A group of excited children are instructing community archaeologist Colin Shepherd when to drop a china mug on the floor so that they can see how it breaks on impact. They will use the results of this experiment to better understand an archaeological find: the broken pieces of an old marmalade jar, last used for breakfast around 100 years ago. The children had recently excavated the jar from woodland as part of an archaeological investigation.

B When schoolchildren are invited to visit archaeological excavations, they rarely have much specific knowledge about the site's history. They are normally given straightforward tasks like washing and sorting finds, that is, any discoveries that are of archaeological interest. What is less common is to find primary school pupils working as partners with an archaeologist. Our project lets primary school children take a joint role in an archaeological investigation, working actively alongside an expert in the field.

C The children's archaeological investigations were part of a larger project initiated by a community group which works to study and preserve the landscape of the Bennachie hills region in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The main project was developed with a team from the University of Aberdeen and funded by a Community Heritage fund and the National Lottery. It focused on the history and archaeology of an abandoned mid-19th-century settlement, located on common ground on the lower slopes of the Bennachie hills. Colin Shepherd set up two additional archaeological projects with local primary school children and their teachers. Each project investigated the history of the place in which the pupils live and go to school.

D At one of the schools, the excavation took place in woodland where pupils usually take part in outdoor learning. Before the archaeology project began, the children viewed the woodland as existing only in the present. Through their work, they became aware of its history and the people who lived and worked on the land near their school in the past. Taking on the role of historians and working with primary source materials, such as maps, census returns and tax payments, the children were able to develop their own lines of enquiry. Their research suggested that there had been a water mill in the area, so their excavations set out to find it. The children, working with the community archaeologist, found evidence for this. They also discovered the remains of a 19th- or 20th-century midden, or rubbish dump, containing many pieces of broken pottery.

E My role as a teacher educator specialising in history education was to work alongside pupils and staff to create an exhibition for their families and the general public. Following a visit to the university to see the museum there, the children produced a timeline of everything they had found to show the period in history to which each item belonged. They went on to invent a 'guess the object' game to engage visitors in their discoveries. The children were given the use of the museum's replica of a 17th-century collector's cabinet for their exhibition. During the identification of the pottery pieces, one was identified as coming from the distinctive Seaton workshop in Aberdeen, so a complete example was borrowed from the museum and included in the cabinet alongside it. Because it used a high-quality display cabinet, the children's exhibition gained a similar status to that of a real museum for the parents and community members who came to see it.

F The project meant the children could lead their own historical investigations and expand their understanding of the places in which they live and the heritage of their family and community. This is a key principle in the Social Studies section of Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence, the national framework for learning for children between the ages of three and 18. Not only did the children learn the history of the place, they learned to understand the process of creating historical knowledge. Through their museum visit, they learned how to select items for display and to think about how to talk to other people about the history they had created.

G Setting up the exhibition and showing it to people aided conversations between children and their community. One of the children discovered that their great-grandfather had once owned the Seaton workshop. The grandmother of another child recounted her memories of making oatmeal porridge in a small bowl decorated with the same floral design as a pottery piece on display. The archaeological investigations carried out by the children created a real-life context for them to play an active part in learning – educating not just themselves but their community too.